KATHERINE MORRISON

WINNER OF EXPRESSIONS 2002 - THE WOOL QUILT PRIZE

© Katherine Morrison

Ozquilt Network Newsletter #46 December 2002

Talented New Zealand quilter Katherine Morrison has been making quilts since 1975, exhibiting widely in group exhibitions in New Zealand , Canada and America . She has taken part in two joint exhibitions and had a solo exhibition supported by Creative NZ in The Netherlands in 1997. She has won a number of major awards and her quilts have been acquired for private collections in New Zealand , Australia , Europe, Asia and America . Her quilt 'No Sugar' which won the $2,000 Wool Quilt Prize at The National Wool Museum this year makes a wonderful addition to their permanent collection of contemporary art quilts.

'No Sugar' is a deceptively simple quilt that carries the style of the old 'make do' utilitarian quilt into the present. The subtle dyeing and sparse, seemingly casual piecing give this quilt an understated charm. In her statement Katherine says:

This quilt started off honouring my father's war experiences. But as I made it, I realised the design, colours, texture and materials relate to the whole of his life. Made from 1945 blankets when he was in the prime of his life, called 'No Sugar' because life is supposedly better semi-sweet.

KATHERINE'S STORY

When I was a child my father worked in a bank which meant that the family was often transferred. When quite young, I knitted and sewed dolls' clothes. I was so impatient to see the finished article that they were often too small, and had to be sewn onto the doll! At ten years of age I was ecstatic when my mother allowed me to use her Singer sewing machine. I continued to make dolls' clothes, and began to make clothes for myself, including such ambitious projects as making jodhpurs. Later on as a teenager, I hand sewed leather bags, boots and sandals for sale.

At seventeen I started a nursing career and enjoyed working as a Registered General Nurse for ten years. When my children arrived, I knitted and sewed for them, and also re-covered furniture. My first quilt was a rug made of knitted squares in 1975. My next adventure into quiltmaking was in 1987 after the birth of my third child. I attended a two day beginners' patchwork class, making two Ohio Star quilts. Four traditional American grid style quilts followed in various patterns and colours. Then came a desire to be original in my work. The idea of frugality in quiltmaking has always appealed to me, much to the amusement of my friends, not to say this is always the case!

I am very interested in art especially painting. Learning about quilt history and viewing textiles from other cultures has brought me almost full circle within my quiltmaking, that is, providing warmth and comfort within a utilitarian quilt form. I am constantly amazed at the beautiful textiles produced by men and women in the most primitive of conditions, rather humbling at times.

When I look back on some of my earlier efforts, I cringe but I guess it is all part of the journey. Since 1993, numerous images of my work have been presented and reviewed in New Zealand Quilter, Australian Patchwork and Quilting Magazine and American Quilter. I work in series, sometimes exhausting all the possibilities. Series include'Pasifica', 'Medieval', 'Blokes Blankets', 'Wire Wove', 'Retro', 'Elemental Protection', presently 'Rural Compositions' and many in between.

In the beginning I worked with cottons and silks. I have been hand dyeing at various stages over the past decade and use N.Z. compressed batting. I always hand quilt as I love the texture, control and the human aspect of it. Lately I have been working with wool. First with commercial fabrics, then 'op shop' clothes and now blankets. These are hand dyed (unless grey), and provide a large amount of material to work with. They are economical and extremely tactile.

 

Blankets represent part of my identity as a New Zealander. My pioneering ancestors used them in the nineteenth century; warmth, protection and comfort in the harsh environment of Aotearoa ( New Zealand ). I also associate them with spartan frugality, a quality of my Scottish and Dutch ancestors. We are a wool producing country (no sheep jokes please) and have a tradition of factory made woollen blankets. This meant that growing up I had pink woollen blankets with satin edging on my bed, and picnic blankets were always a must. Lastly the texture of the rugged New Zealand landscape somehow reminds me of an old woollen blanket.

I started working with wool after seeing 'Expressions 2000: The Wool Quilt Prize' advertised. However, I made the quilt too big for the competition. I felt that had it been any smaller I would have compromised the design. However, it set me off on another tangent and I read up on waggas (rhymes with 'joggers') and the equivalent quilts here in New Zealand . I connected with the old woollen quilts and waggas, and felt very inspired and excited. The use of blankets in my quiltmaking seemed so apt. The basic human need for warmth fascinates me, hence my obsession with quilts.

I would like to thank the National Wool Museum for this most generous award and feel very privileged to have received it. Many thanks to Barbara Macey and Elizabeth Triarico for their assistance.

Katherine Morrison © 2002